← The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
Colin Cowherd Podcast - Broncos Will Win AFC West, Chiefs Dynasty Over? Josh Allen Best Player In NFL, Rams Rattle Darnold
01:17:02
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- [00:00]
Sophie Cunningham
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:04]
Colin Cowherd
This podcast is sponsored by PayPal. Okay, let's talk holiday shopping. When you want to make the most of your Money, head to PayPal's app before you check out. They give you the flexibility to pay in four no fees, no interest. And this is big. Bigger than the 12 foot snowman on your lawn right now. You can get 5% cash back when you pay later with PayPal. So whether it's the must have merch or for that signed jersey you've been eyeing, PayPal helps you make the most of your money this holiday. Save this offer in the PayPal app.
- [00:37]
John Middlekauff
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- [00:43]
Colin Cowherd
Learn more at paypal.com payin4paypal inc.nmls910457 look, if you smoke or dip, I'm going.
- [00:51]
John Middlekauff
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- [01:13]
Colin Cowherd
A store near you.
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John Middlekauff
Again, that's zen.com find zyn spelled z y N. This product contains nicotine.
- [01:21]
Colin Cowherd
Nicotine is an addictive chemical.
- [01:23]
Sophie Cunningham
This is Sophie Cunningham from Show Me Something. Do you know the symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or osa, in adults with obesity? They may be happening to you without you knowing. If anyone has ever said you snored loudly, or if you spend your days fighting off excessive tiredness, irritability and concentration issues, it may be due to osa. OSA is a serious condition where your airway partially or completely collapses during sleep, which may cause breathing interruptions and oxygen deprivation. Learn more at. Don't sleep on OSA.com this information is provided by Lilly, a medicine company.
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Colin Cowherd
Get almost anything you need delivered with UberEats. What do you mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well groomed lawn delivered, but you can get chicken parm delivered. A Little Escape? No Delicious bowl of grapes? Yeah. An afternoon stroll? Sorry, no. A burrito bowl? Happily, yes. How about the clear skies? Can't deliver that. But French fries? Yeah. Get almost almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol in select markets. Product availability may vary by region. CIAPP for details.
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Sophie Cunningham
I turned off news altogether.
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John Middlekauff
I hate to say it, but I don't trust much of anything.
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Colin Cowherd
It's the rage bait.
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Sophie Cunningham
It feels like it's trying to Divide, people.
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John Middlekauff
If we got clear facts, maybe we could calm down a little.
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Colin Cowherd
NBC News brings you clear reporting. Let's meet at the facts. Let's move forward from there.
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John Middlekauff
NBC News reporting for America.
- [03:05]
Colin Cowherd
The volume. All right, I'm a football fan for a long time, since the 70s. I don't watch football without something to eat and drink. Trust me, it's a whole different ball game when you're eating right now. I got two things today from Uber Eats right now. When you buy one large extra most bestest pepperoni pizza from Little Caesars like this one, you get another one free. By the way, one of these has already been eaten by me and my wife 15 minutes ago. Yes, that's right. An extra extra most bestest pizza thrown in there. Extra cheese, extra pepperoni, all for the price of just one. And since Uber Eats is the official on demand food delivery partner of the NFL, you know, all the game day deals keep coming all season long. Wings and tacos and subs and pizzas, chips and dips. Whatever. Whatever it is, Uber Eats delivers right to your door. So when your team puts up the extra point, reward yourself with an extra pizza order. Little Caesars on Uber Eats today we did terms apply. See the app for details. Pizza, Pizza, Extra extra. Something's going on here. All right, former NFL scout, you know him as John Middlekopf. His podcast is three and Out. He is everywhere during the football season. And my blazing five is on a fricking heater. Four and oh, today I couldn't get a break in September. I'm getting every break. When Shadour Sanders came in, I. I was like, wait, Cleveland leads 16:10. I've got the Browns plus eight and a half. Just no pick sixes. And he actually had a nice, like, final drive. A little spin move throwing the end zone. He did okay. I was, I. It was really entertaining. So let's start. Denver 22, Kansas City 19. So the Broncos are now 9 and 2. The Chiefs are a.500 team. They're a hell of a 500 team. Kansas City's a good team. Bo Nicks 2437, 295. Again, no big mistakes. What's interesting against Spags in that defense, John, you know, Bo's really struggled, but they, for the first time in nine weeks, they scored on their opening drive. And it was as if Bo and Sean found a rhythm, certainly on enough drives to get field goals that they hadn't had. But it was one of those games when you watch Sam Darnold unravel and you watched A lot of quarterbacks today, there were some ugly quarterback play. This is where Bo Nix is really good. He doesn't take sacks. He can move the chains with his legs. He's really good in these big fourth quarter drives. I know he drives everybody nuts. But there is something to be said about today against Mahomes, milking that clock, making that big throw down the stretch. What was your interpretation of Nixon, what you saw today?
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John Middlekauff
Yeah, I mean that, that final drive was huge, right? He hit two third downs, third and 15 when he scrambled to his right. They need to get him on the move more often, I think. Same, same. They've really tried to push the ball down the field. And even today some of his, a lot of his incompletions because his numbers look good are on the D ball. He was not skipping balls like he did whatever A Thursday, a week ago it was that deep ball. He's still overthrowing it, but he was, he's good on the move. And then the, the third and five that, that Sutton made the play and then that second and eight which essentially sealed the game. So three enormous passes. I actually thought when Kelsey scored same. I mean Travis Kelsey and Chris Jones, I mean you talk about these guys, I mean that you knew they would bring it. They both of them dominated today. I thought that that second time that when Mims on the, when returned that punt and they were in the red zone and they didn't come out of with touchdown. I'm like, I think they're going to look back and God, they're going to be kicking themselves on that one. And he just. They found a way. I mean their defense is both these defense. I mean these are. How about that could be the AFC championship game right there.
- [06:53]
Colin Cowherd
John, how about the late window? Cleveland's defense, Rams, Seattle, Denver, Kansas City. And Robert Sala is doing an unfrecking believable job with nobody. He's got, you know, Winter's a good player. That kid's everywhere. But no, I kind of look at this game and I think the Chiefs were 11 and 0 or 12 and oh last year in one possession games and their own five. And my takeaway on that isn't that they were 11 and oh, not just that, but why are they in so many close games? And I think you see this with Buffalo, you start paying these quarterbacks $400 million. And John, you look at Buffalo's defense, it's really okay. It's just okay. It's got a couple splash players. You look at Kansas City, you know, they don't have much of a run game. Kelsey again rises to the moment. Chris Jones has not had a good year. He had a good day today. But I think it's the reality is when, you know, when you start looking at roster. Seattle, well, they're paying Sam very, very workable wage. Indianapolis, Daniel Jones, it looks unbelievable roster. So you know, some of it with Kansas City is. This is the reality. Remember when Drew Brees was in New Orleans? He took a big salary and they dipped for two years and then he took a team friendly deal at the end and they had great rosters with Sean Payton, how, how much credit do you give? You know, Sean Payton's funny. I think he's the best coach in football. Nobody wants to admit it's a great coach because he's a little, he can be a little bit of a smartass. But John, they're still paying Russell Wilson and this roster is stacked.
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John Middlekauff
Where I give them a lot of credit is remember when they gave, they had that game his first year where they played Miami and gave up 70 points and there was so much momentum and you went, this Vance Joseph thing is just not going to work. And you look back a couple of years later, they have a potential all time defense. I mean they might break the sacks record. The blitz he called, you just talked about defensive coordinators. I mean the amount, if you combine the salaries of the defensive coordinators in the late window, it's a lot of money. These guys are getting paid. That blitz that he called did sack Patrick Mahomes. I mean that, that was, that was big time. It's. Sometimes you got to mix it up against an all time great player and kind of confuse them. I mean you're playing, I mean the coaching quarterback combination, one of if not the greatest combination of all time. So Vance Joseph to me deserves. They play the Chiefs really well now two years in a row and they're missing their best defensive players. So obviously you know Sean and you know he's, he's been very, I would say consistent on Bo Nix. He's kept his mouth shut when he's really struggled because he doesn't want this guy to go into the tank. And they've, I think the team has just kind of, you know, stood by his back because whatever that Thursday night game was pretty ugly. I mean that was, that was as bad as it got. And today to you, you get a little extra time. I, I think Romo mentioned it that they spent a lot of time just kind of getting back to the basics like getting in and out of the huddle.
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Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
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John Middlekauff
You know, I think sometimes you think it's like you get rushed. It's like getting in another huddle. Bo Nix was saying, coach, you're getting me the plays too late. And they worked on, like, stuff that you don't even think. But that's. Sometimes you got to take a step back before you worry about, like, what's up with his accuracy. Well, if he's all rattled and all this other shit, then you're already screwed before you even started.
- [10:08]
Colin Cowherd
That's what we saw with Caleb Williams. In the first three weeks, his operational stuff was a mess. Now, it's still not pretty, but that's not the problem. He may struggle, but the operational stuff, I do think with Bo Nix, he's a really tightly wound guy. He's very intense. And so I think Sean was adding to that anxiety by getting it in late. And you and I have talked about this the last couple of weeks. He played nervous. And I think now we look at it and we're like, oh, that's why, like, he's a tightly wound guy. He's incredibly hard on himself. I talked to somebody who knew him before the season. They're like, that kid is hard on himself. Like, little. Like Lamar Jackson just doesn't savor wins. Like, losses are crushing. And so, okay, then Sean's getting the plays in late. Sean's demanding so early in the season. And Sean's never been a great September coach anyway because he just unloads the playbook on him. But I thought today, boy, less frenetic. I thought that final drive was like, I mean, John, that was a little Jaden Daniels of last year. You're like, wow, that's a. That's a Pro bowl level drive. Like two big throws. And they just. The way Sean and Bo melked the clock, I mean, that, that. I mean, even when. When Romo and Nance said at the end, they're like, hey, if the Chiefs don't make a tackle here, get down at the one. And. And they didn't. Peyton and Bo had thought it out. They just took a knee. They were not going to let Kansas City control it. They took a knee and, you know, I. I don't think. I don't think Kansas City is a bad team. I just think the margins get really skinny when you pay Kelsey Jones Mahomes. I mean, the hell they had to get rid of Joe Tuney. You know, it's just. This is the reality of having a $400 million quarterback.
- [11:51]
John Middlekauff
The other thing is this, when you Go to five Super Bowls in six years, and I think the year you missed it, you lost in the AFC Championship game. Where are you drafting every round? You know, 29, 30, 31, 32. And that's not just the first round. We're talking the third and the fourth round. So your margin for error, you're not getting the pick of the litter each round. Right. This isn't like the second round. You get to pick the four best players that are still on the board in the 30s or early 40s. You're picking at the end at 60. So the pressure on Veach and the scouting staff is really, really high. And I think that's why they were kind of hesitant to make a bold trade, because you need the picks. And especially, like, let's face it, Kelsey and Chris Jones are coming down the home stretch here, right? So these guys, they're no longer 17 game elite guy. They give you however many games during the regular season, hopefully the playoff games, but, like, you are going to need to make some hay in the draft. But even this year, let's say they end up going 10 and 7 because they got some winnable games on their schedule. Let's just say this is the year they get bounced in the first round. There's. They're still, it's not like they're drafted seven, they're still drafted 21st. So they, they are just, you know, sometimes, you know, the Ravens have had a good little stretch here of the Starks and the Wiggins, and they've hit a, like, that's, there's a little dumb luck to that because a lot's out of your control. Right? The guy you want, you see this year with Jihad Campbell being there for Howie some years, that guy goes pick 16 and you're just like, we don't really like any of these picks. It's why, historically you get a lot of the good teams. John, Schneider, Belichick, they would go back.
- [13:19]
Colin Cowherd
Yes.
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John Middlekauff
Because, like, we just don't feel comfortable here. And it just, it's very draft dependent. I watch a lot of college football. I'm like, I, I don't know how many blue chippers are in this upcoming draft. Definitely not when the, you know, a lot of these teams in the 20s are going to be drafted. So it just puts a lot of pressure. And the Chiefs put them. I think coach Reed Patrick will be the first. They put themselves into a hole. You start Owen 2, you lose that crazy Jags game, you shouldn't be like on tilt in the middle of November on the Road at a eight and two team. Well, right. The season shouldn't. And it's the season technically not on the line, but the division streaks over tonight. The Broncos essentially won the division tonight. Colin. They play the Commanders next and then the Raiders.
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Colin Cowherd
Yeah. So I had picked Denver to win this division. I picked Kansas City at finished second, Chargers third and Raiders fourth. So I've had a good year on picks and pretty good year. I picked New England to be my shocking team and Seattle to make the playoffs. So I've, it's been a good football and pro football year for me. But one of the things I had, I, I, I really believe about Kansas City is that when you look at the Chiefs, a lot of the reality of playing these big intense seasons is there's a fatigue. It's more hits you end up having. I mean, I guess just kind of the way I look at Kansas City's run is like how I looked at New England is that before the season I said, the dynasty's over. And I said, they'll make the playoffs, they'll probably win another super bowl or two. But you just can't keep doing it. The eye test tells you that defense two years ago was faster than now, and Chris Jones was more dominant. When you take Chris Jones out of his prime and like Kelsey, he'll give you great games but not a great season, that defense isn't the same, John. It's like, it's like the, the, the Rams got lucky when Darnold left or when Aaron Donald left because they had drafted and hit on like five different defensive players in the box. So the defense about a year after he left are like, oh, hell, it's still, it's still nasty. But they hit on five defensive picks. Five of them were all even the third round. Kobe Turner was good, but when Chris Jones, the last two years, especially this year, isn't as dominant. The rest of the players are good players and so they had to let go of Snead at corner and they have a couple guys get dinged up. And when I watch them play today, it's still well coached, it's still good. But Seattle's defense or the Rams defense today, just turn the sound down. The Rams defense is just, there's nothing open anywhere. There's stuff open today that Bo, Nick and Pton took advantage of.
- [16:03]
John Middlekauff
Yeah, I mean, part of it is in Belichick and Brady, you know, in the middle of or I guess the late 2000s, early 2010s. You got to start hitting on some the new group of guys.
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Colin Cowherd
Right.
- [16:14]
John Middlekauff
They got hightower, they got McCordy. Right. They got all these other players to come in. Obviously, Edelman became a consistent slot. They hit on Gronk in the second round. The Chiefs are going to have to do that over the next couple years. And they kind of already have, you know, Rasheed Rice, a high end player.
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Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
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John Middlekauff
Xavier Worthy, they're going to need more out of him. Yeah, they got McDuffie and Carloftis on defense. You need to hit on a couple more guys. But listen, I think they've proven they know what they're doing. This is just not the. Belichick and Brady had some years where they lost in the first round. Remember the Brex? Ryan beat him, the Ravens beat him. Peyton got him a couple times. Like you're not going to go to the Super Bowl. Five and six years. I. I'd be stunned if that ever happens again. And that with the parody, the way the league's built. But the Broncos, they're going to be in a position, you know, now they're in the driver's seat to get the number one seed.
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Colin Cowherd
Right.
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John Middlekauff
Because the Colts, I mean, are they just going to keep rattling off wins? I think the Broncos, you look at their schedule, it's pretty easy. I do believe if they can get home field advantage, it's going to be a very, very tough place to win. You know, for opposing teams to come in with that defense and they just need Bo Nix to play. Like today, no turnovers. We don't need three, four touchdowns a game. You go back to some of the defenses that, you know, people like in the 80s and the 90s and the early 2000s, we don't need three touchdowns. Like, just do not turn the ball over. Maybe throw one, will rush for one, and we will win this thing 17 to 13. No problem.
- [17:34]
Colin Cowherd
Don't, don't forget Denver at home in January, it will be snowing, so that defense will be even nastier because it's going to be windy at high altitude and snowing. All right, Seattle loses to The Rams. Rams 21, Seahawks 19. Pretty remarkable that with four Sam Darnold interceptions. Seattle, which again, I think their rosters, I think defensively they got so many dudes. First of all, these two defenses, there's just nothing. I felt bad for Sam Darnold. There's just, if a ball gets tipped in the air, it's picked. There's just very little. I mean, thank God for jsn. It's just hard to have plays, it's hard to have successive Plays against the Rams defense that hit, you can hit one and then it's backwards. So. But I was thinking about this because the Rams jump out to a very quick lead. It's very impressive and then they have to hold on. But I was, you know, they. Here's the thing that jumped out to me. The Rams defense in the red zone, number one. If you didn't watch the game, the Rams defense in the red zone kept forcing Seattle into field goals. So that, that was the early portion of the game. The second portion was they kept intercepting Sam Darnold. But this struck me during the game. If Stafford would have thrown four picks, Seattle would have blown the Rams out, would have blown their doors off. How can Seattle stay with them? And my takeaway is this. Matt Stafford, John is play call reliant. He is as good as the play call, right? Sam's not. If the play breaks down, Sam can create a second play, sometimes a third with his legs. The weakness with the Rams, because there is no weakness defensively, their corners aren't great. But Forbes, now Emmanuel Forbes in, is playing really well. He's a nice corner, probably a number two corner, but he's a good corner. Their safeties are good, their pass rush. Stafford's not giving you anything off the play call. Now he can get in and out of stuff pre snap, but if the play breaks down or it's just stuffed, the play's over. I feel like with Darnold, I mean when, when, when Matt Stafford is reckless and has a bad day, Rams get hammered. But Seattle doesn't because you know, they dominate time of possession. Got in the second and third quarter. Seattle had the ball for 20 minutes, the Rams had it for three. I mean again, there is such a value to having an athletic quarterback that can just create a second play if the first play gets snuffed. And I, that's, that's my thing. I love Stafford, but with him and Goff, you do not get a second play within a play call. The play call is what the play call is. And I thought it was remarkable that Seattle was kicking a game winning field goal. I thought it was unbelievable.
- [20:20]
John Middlekauff
Yeah, if they would have, if Seattle wins this game, I don't think Sean McVay could have slept all week. You can't pick a guy off four times and lose that game. I mean there at one point in time, it felt like the Rams were in complete control. And I looked down and Matt Stafford had thrown for like 60 yards. I'm like, this feels weird. He ended up only throwing for 130 yards. Sam Darnold threw for almost 300 yards. I mean for 280 yards. Mac Jones is thrown for 650 yards combined against the Rams. You. Which is ironic because you can throw on them. But their. Their defensive coordinator, I think we have to have some ownage over Sam Darnold because some of those picks aren't tip balls. They're hitting guys in the numbers. So he rattled them in the playoff game when they had to play it in Glendale because of the fires. And then he rattled them again today really bad. It was the first time like he's still making some explosive plays. The one play the JSN cop with one hand and obviously the running backs make some big plays. But like if you're going to. I mean he did not have a touchdown today and he threw four interceptions. And I mean I three off top of my head are hitting guys in stride. The one where he did like the Tebow jump up and he just hit the guy. It's like that can't. That looked a little Jets, Carolina Panthers and I think Chris Shula, who was Sean McVeigh's handpicked guy, they're buddies from college has just come. It's like a matchup thing. See this in basketball you see sometimes in baseball with a pitcher versus a hitter. Chris Shula against Sam Darnold because it's not even a Kubiak thing because they had a different offensive coordinator last year in the playoffs is Ryan Grubb. It's something he's doing to Sam is throwing them off with some of these looks because they do not have Jalen Ramsey. And some of these guys back there in the defensive backfield. These are not like their strength is the pass rush, not the corners. Even though the guy they just traded for did make a great play. That would have been Sam Darnold. Maybe under threw him by what he 8 inches and the guy made a great play with his fingertips. They probably saved the game because he completes that. That might have been the game.
- [22:17]
Colin Cowherd
Sam's own three against the Rams the last two years, 21 and four against everybody else. So there is no question the Rams have his number. And what I wrote down today, twice that Sam saw the receiver late. His throw was late. And Sam's never had the cleanest mechanics. He's got a little bit of a little bit of a hitch. It's faster than. Yeah, it's faster than it was four years ago. But Sam has to see stuff clearly and quickly because he doesn't snap the ball out like an Aaron or even Jordan. Love just whips that thing out, man. That touchdown to Christian Watson, he got a bad snap. He saw it, let it go. It was in the air a quarter second later. That's not Sam. And two of the interceptions. Sam saw the play way late, like it wasn't even close. You know, you'd have thought he would throw into a Ram, not a Seahawk. So I think that's the reality is that this right now, I think Seattle has better speed. I think Seattle's roster is actually more complete. Like the Rams have a little bit of a secondary concern. They didn't draft a corner last year. You and I have discussed this. Probably needed. They went and got Emmanuel Forbes a longer corner. I thought he's been pretty good for them. But. And we talked about this, John. I think the last two weeks the Rams are the cleanest team in the league. They're not. They're not the most dynamic. They don't have penalties, they don't turn the ball over, they don't throw interceptions. They're just clean. And in the end that, that wins a lot of these games.
- [23:56]
John Middlekauff
Well, like you said about Darnold, I think I did the math. So if you count today, he's 21 and 6 starting last year. So I mean he's been a great player. But three of those losses to the Rams and if you count the playoff game and today he is five, five interceptions and he was not good in the playoff game either because I'm with you. I feel like they're throwing him off which then speeds him up, which gets them all out of rhythm. Because now the three games in which he's had of those 21 wins, he has been an MVP caliber player. Yet if you take the Lions game and these last two Rams game, he looks like a rattled player. So it's, it's like clearly. And some of those wins are against really good teams. So it's not like he's just beaten up on, you know, Kentucky's of the world. Right. He's doing it against real competition. So whatever Shula has put out there now and Aaron Glenn, I do wonder if more people are going to attempt to just copycat that. Yes, but it just, it's weird because I was all in the way he was playing that I watched today, I'm like, clearly you can do something to throw him off. And you know, he's. It's one thing if you just, you know, you have bad footwork and you overthrow a guy. It's another thing to hit multiple DBs in their numbers. That to me is a really, really alarming sign.
- [25:13]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [25:13]
John Middlekauff
And I thought he had gotten past it, the way he was playing this year. I'm like, whatever that confidence is. And then you see a moment like today and you're like, God, I'm picking Seattle to make the Super Bowl. And that kind of is going to give me some pause because there's going to be a lot of pressure on this guy in the playoffs again. Right. And down the stretch, he still got some big games left.
- [25:30]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, I've said this about Caleb Williams and Bo Nicks. They don't get hurt. They don't throw picks. There is some value in that. All right. Today's show is brought to you by our new presenting sponsor, Hard Rock Bet. They're a great partner on Hard Rock Bet. There's always something to bet on. If you haven't tried your first bet on Hard Rock Bet yet, there's still time for you to get 150 bucks in bonus bets. If you win, just place a $5 bet. That's it. Five bucks. If it hits you, not only get your winnings, but you get $150 in extra bonus bets. The NBA is back, which means it's time to shoot your shot on Hard Rock Bet. You're home for all the hoops action all season long. If you need a little help with your first bet, check out the streaks heating up inside the Hard Rock Bet stats hub. You can find live odds to bet on all of these streaks right in the Hard Rock Bet app. Download the Hard Rock Bet app today and make your first deposit payable in bonus bets. Not a cash offer offered by the Seminole Tribe of Florida in Florida, offered by Seminole Hard Rock Digital LLC in all their states must be 21 + and physically present in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee or Virginia. To play. Terms and conditions apply. Concern about gambling in Florida, call 1-888- admit it. In Indiana, if you or somebody you know has a problem, wants help, call 1-800-9 with it. Gambling problem. Call 1-800- Gambler Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia. This week's crunch time performer brought to you by McDonald's new buffalo ranch Sauce is Josh Allen, best football player in the world. Second time in his career. Three passing touchdowns. Three rushing touchdowns in one game. It's like that junior high football player that's got a mustache and nobody else does, right? No other player has ever done it once. So Josh's performance was satisfying. Just like the first bite of the Bacon Creamy Buffalo McCrispy Always good.
- [27:21]
Sophie Cunningham
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- [29:00]
Colin Cowherd
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- [29:13]
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- [30:16]
Colin Cowherd
Podcast is sponsored by PayPal. Okay, let's talk holiday shopping. When you want to make the most of your Money, head to PayPal's app before you check out. They give you the flexibility to pay in four no fees, no interest. And this is big. Bigger than the 12 foot snowman on your lawn right now. You can get 5% cash back when you pay later with PayPal. So whether it's the must have merch or for that signed jersey you've been eyeing, PayPal helps you make the most of your money this holiday. Save this offer in the PayPal app.
- [30:49]
John Middlekauff
Expires 1231 see paypal.com promoterms subject to approval.
- [30:54]
Colin Cowherd
Learn more at paypal.com payin4paypal inc.nmls910457 let's go to Chicago 19 Minnesota Vikings 17 Santos with the walk off. I did think Chicago. First of all Chicago was better on third down. Much better. They dominated time of possession. Caleb had no picks.
- [31:22]
John Middlekauff
I thought Chicago great with his legs too.
- [31:25]
Colin Cowherd
Oh yeah, I thought Chicago was the better team. This is not one of these in which they were lucky. I thought Chicago was the better team. Now JJ McCarthy had a couple of drops by Jordan Addison, one early, one late. So it's not all on JJ McCarthy. So let's just look at the Bears though. So last year they couldn't win games like this. And this is sort of the magic of Ben Johnson and Caleb. They're not, it's not pretty. They have a win against the Raiders due to a block field goal. They beat Washington when Jaden Daniels fumbled late in the game. Remember nobody touched him. He just fumbled. They had a 58 yard TD against the Bengals. After a near collapse. They trailed double digits in the fourth quarter to the Giants and one and a game winning field goal as time expires today against the Vikings. Now you could say it's just lucky. You know I think Caleb Williams legs aren't luck again today. He made two or three. I mean listen, it's, it's a cliche. Nobody doubts how dynamic he is. Guy's a frickin, he's a cleanup hitter. I mean just the legs, the power, the. He made a couple throws today. I mean he's just he when he unleashes it man it Is how about.
- [32:31]
John Middlekauff
The one to DJ Moore that DJ dropped? I think it got on DJ so fast that, you know, I think he was trying to catch it, but it hit his chest plate before his hands could even get there. That had to be a 110 mile an hour fastball. That had to be the hardest ball today thrown, I think in the NFL.
- [32:45]
Colin Cowherd
But I think we have to be honest about this. J.J. mcCarthy had one really good drive at the end and he deserves credit for it. But John, this is not a highlight league. This is not the NBA. It is about sustained drives. It is about putting your team in situations to win. I got to tell you, I. I don't know what it is, but when you have Kevin o', Connell, good protection, decent run game, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison didn't. He had drops. I don't see it with JJ McCarthy and I don't want to do confirmation bias. He hasn't had many starts. His arm is good enough. It's not an arm thing. He has a decent arm, but he looks nervous. He's a player that plays, I think with confidence and when he loses it after a second pick, he had a couple of really bad drives. So he's obviously somebody who's a bit in his head on this stuff. Blame him. It happens. He's young, but it's hard for me to unsee it. Like when Caleb was struggling last year, he wasn't throwing picks, he was making plays with his feet. You could not deny his athleticism. Even Greg Cosell kept saying, the tape will tell you he makes incredible throws. This JJ McCarthy thing, about four more of these and they got a problem on their hands.
- [34:01]
John Middlekauff
Yeah, I mean, I think they have jj Beside, the one drive at the end was atrocious. I mean, he's a complete train wreck. I mean, balls are flying all over the map. I mean he just. Not, not even, not even close. And I think Tom was in a tough position being a Michigan man, trying to not totally crush the kid. But even Tom's like, I got no clue. There was a stretch where they did some replays, something. I don't even know where he's throwing. I do want to say this though, that if you just take the two coaches, you know, if we just did a draft from scratch, they would be two of the highest guys in the league, right? Ben Johnson, Kevin o'. Connell. I actually think they're the polar opposite though, being offensive guys and both former quarterbacks. Now o' Connell got drafted. Ben Johnson, I think was a backup in North Carolina. Ben's Basically Kyle Shanahan 2.0. He will run it till the cows come home. And he may, and he makes it. It's a lot easier on Caleb to be in situations where I'm not putting it all on your shoulder because I think Caleb, when he plays like that, can get a little reckless and start running around because he naturally just plays like that anyway, which he's. He's incredible at breaking out of sacks. I mean, his ability, he's like unsackable. You have to get multiple guys on him because he's breaking through. But Ben Johnson today, the majority of this game was just one score game. This wasn't like one. Team's up 24 to three. Kevin OConnell just insists. And I said this last year with Sam Darnold when everyone just took a giant, you know, kind of dump on Sam Darnold's career. It's like he didn't get any help in that playoff game for his coach. Like, have some runs, settle the game down. Ben Johnson wants to run it basically just three times, get a first down and run it again.
- [35:37]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [35:37]
John Middlekauff
Kevin o' Connell is calling these deep breaking routes like, bro, this is not Sam Darnold during the regular season. It's definitely not Kirk Cousins. This guy has no clue where the ball is coming out of his hands. He threw a pick in the corner of the end zone on a go route. I don't know why you're calling go routes for this guy. He's overthrowing. Guys, if you're going to throw some quick stuff, okay, Some quick outs, somewhat easy, even though he was missing those two. But there was one point in time during the first half that they were averaging almost five yards of carry and the Bears had like doubled the amount of carries. If. If it was flip flopped, Jordan Mason, Aaron Jones, they would have. They would have easily both got double the amount of touches they got. But he insists, and I get it, he's got these two awesome wide receivers, but that's how he wants to coach. He wants to throw the ball vertically down the field, and that is not what this guy is capable of doing right now. Yeah, right. You know, listen, Caleb Williams is much better player than JJ and he would be, quote, unquote, more capable to do that. But Ben Johnson, and they got wide receivers too, but he's not going to play like that.
- [36:39]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [36:40]
John Middlekauff
And you got a coach, and I saw on social media, it's like, well, you got to let him sink or swim. The goal of today was trying to win the game.
- [36:46]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [36:46]
John Middlekauff
And this was a winnable game for both teams. And Ben Johnson, to me, thoroughly out coached Kevin o' Connell because, yes, JJ stinks, but his coach, like in the middle of the game in a, in a one score game, can help his guy out. He's insisting on pushing the ball down the field and blowing up in his face.
- [37:02]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [37:02]
John Middlekauff
And I think, I'm not stunned, but it's like, it's a consistent theme now with o' Connell throwing the ball, you know, with this guy.
- [37:09]
Colin Cowherd
And think about this. In the fourth quarter at the end of the game, John, when they trailed, the Bears got that huge kickoff return. So JJ McCarthy leads him to a touchdown. You're like, oh my God, Minnesota's gonna get out of this thing, look like crap all day. They're gonna win this game.
- [37:23]
John Middlekauff
Crazy.
- [37:24]
Colin Cowherd
The Bears get a huge kickoff return. And did you of course notice? What did Ben do? Three straight run plays. He was like, hey, I'm not gonna put Caleb. Caleb had a couple bad sacks earlier in the game. To your point, Ben's like, we're gonna run the football, pick up about 7 to 8 yards. Sanos is gonna come in and get the game winning field goal. They could have thrown it. They could have put. They didn't. Ben Johnson's to your point? Ben's like, we're going to run it, we're going to keep it. We're not going to put any pressure on it. We've outplayed these guys. We just got the kickoff return. So Ben. And it's not dismissing Caleb. It's like, I'm not going to put my young quarterback on the road against Brian Flores. I'm not putting him in this spot. And they just ran it. The kick was good, but that was a situation where I kept thinking, oh, that's kind of conservative. But then I'm like, no, Santos is good. That's not going to be the issue. I'm looking online, I'm like, no, he'll be fine. He would left earlier this year. I think Jake Moody came in for a brief time. Santos is now back, but he got injured. But I think to your point, Ben Johnson, I mean, what's the first thing he did when he got the job? Joe Tuney, Drew Dahlman, Jonah Jackson. It wasn't tackles, it was interior line, settle the line, stay off Caleb's feet and run the ball with Swift.
- [38:42]
John Middlekauff
I'm blown away by Ben Johnson just because you never know. No matter how great a coordinator is, when he becomes a head coach, we see so many guys fail. He's Been fantastic. I mean I'm not trying to overreact but like philosophically the way that I personally view football, I'd rather have Ben Johnson than Kevin o' Connell because that translates what he's doing with this organization that has been losing for a long time. Like ugly toxicity. Let's face it, most people that coach the Vikings have some success. They are a well run operation with historically a ton of good players. That's not the case with the Bears. Now we'll see. The Bears, you know, still got to play the Steelers, they still got to play the Packers. They got the lions again. The 49er game is going to be huge for them. There's no guarantee that they're going to make the playoffs. But Ben Johnson, 7 and 3. I, you know, I know Vrabel, and rightfully so, is anointed. I would put him hand in hand right there as coach of the year. It's been. Today was awesome to go on the road and to just calm everyone down by just keep calling run plays. It's amazing what that does.
- [39:44]
Colin Cowherd
I mean I go Back to the first scoring drive for the Bears. It was either a 15 or a 16 play drive. Now think about that. You have DJ Moore, excellent tight ends, Caleb Williams if you have playmakers and Ben Johnson's were going to take the crowd out of the game. Six yards, four yards, eight yards. Nothing quiets a crowd like a 15 play drive on the road. And so Ben Johnson again, long, sustained, smart. I think Sean Payton and Ben Johnson maybe my two favorite play callers in the NFL, they just, they just, it's death by a thousand cuts. It's just smart. Six, four. I thought Sean Payton's last drive with Bo. I thought that 16 play drive Chicago on the road. Yeah, I mean it's, it's there. Well there's no question offensive coaches help young quarterbacks over defensive coaches. But even among offensive coaches there's a strata, there's a, there's a hierarchy really quick.
- [40:41]
John Middlekauff
I mean big picture with the Vikings. We've seen this a couple times recently and Brock Purdy bailed John and Kyle out and it sure looks like Daniel Jones bailed Chris and Shane Steichen out. Who's bailing this Viking situation out because this is, this guy is and even a die hard the most, you know, bullish guy on JJ would have to admit like yeah, he had one good drive but for the majority of these games he is atrocious.
- [41:09]
Colin Cowherd
Nine. I have nine turnovers in five games. That's, that's, that's the number I put down, like, that's. You can't have two turnovers a game. I mean, again, Darnold's going to have a stinker. But with Darnold, you get big arm, huge athletic ability. You have multiple. I mean, you can as a teammate. Sam Darnold is going to get you the ball like he, jsn was the first receiver to a thousand. Justin Jefferson is not. Look at his body language. He is not a happy camper.
- [41:37]
John Middlekauff
Well, I don't blame him. I mean, he's running out routes wide open and the ball's sailing, hitting the trainer on the bench. I mean, what's. It's, it's.
- [41:44]
Colin Cowherd
He.
- [41:44]
John Middlekauff
He had a couple out routes that when that ball left his hands, it's like. It was like when Randy Johnson hit the bird, you know, it's like, I don't even know where that ball's going.
- [41:53]
Colin Cowherd
And now for our next segment, whiskey business. Yes, whiskey business. Brought to you by Green River Whiskey, the official whiskey of the Colin Coward podcast. Buffalo beats the Buccaneers 44 to 32. Wildly entertaining game. I got so many notes here. I'll try to keep it simple. I mean, Josh Allen, three passing touchdowns, three running touchdowns. Despite the interceptions, Josh Allen, to me, is the best football player in the world. I think he's the best football player. He's maybe one of the five best football players I've ever seen. It's just insane. I still don't love the receiving core, but it's just amazing how he can just kind of make everything work. James Cook is obviously a tremendous player. He had a touchdown out of the backfield today. I thought Baker played pretty well. Baker ran a lot today because I think Baker had to. I don't know, Sean Tucker, I mean, God, where they find these running backs.
- [42:52]
John Middlekauff
In Tampa, I didn't even know who that was. I had to Google him. He's from Syracuse. I mean, I was like, who is this guy?
- [42:56]
Colin Cowherd
He looked like a dude. He honestly looked like an outside linebacker. He was just yoking. But I guess my takeaway on this, the bill's eight yards per. Kind of my takeaway on this is. And I've had two executives tell me this, Buffalo doesn't have the roster. People think they have Josh Allen, they have two or three really good players. But, I mean, you look at Denver's roster, you look at Philly's roster, you look at the Rams roster, Seattle, you got. You got dudes. You look at Buffalo's roster, and it was one of my favorite picks today because I thought, and I felt kind of lucky that Buffalo pulled away late. But let me just ask you, do you think the Bills to have it? I don't think it's as good as the Ravens. Do you think the Bills have a top 10 roster?
- [43:46]
John Middlekauff
No. Today I mean they have one guy who is a transcendent all time player. My wife had her baby shower back in the Bay Area. So for the last 48 hours I spent a lot of time on the couch watching sports.
- [43:59]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [43:59]
John Middlekauff
And on Friday night I watched Steph Curry for like the second time in three nights score. He scored 100 points in two games. And it's not. He is the Golden State warriors franchise. He is the franchise. Kind of like what Michael Jordan was to the franchise. Josh Allen is the Bills franchise. This, this team was a joke for 20 years. You watch him today, like is Patrick Mahomes has elevated the franchise. But I was watching, they were winning 10, 11, 12 games every year with Alex Smith. Right. Andy Reid's average probably. I think like 11 wins is for 20 years before he met Patrick Mahomes. If Patrick Mahomes disappeared tomorrow, they would not be as good. But any reed be fine. They'd find another quarterback. They keep winning. If Josh Allen disappeared tomorrow, the Bills would become the jets or the Dolphins. Like that. Yep. I don't care how rich their ownership is, because that's what they were before. Just like when Steph Curry retires, the warriors are the kings with a more rich owner. I mean, that's what it is.
- [44:54]
Colin Cowherd
I mean more game, you want revenue. Yeah, yeah.
- [44:56]
John Middlekauff
I mean with, with that. Exactly. With higher ticket prices. So you watch Josh Allen today, it's like he's an unstoppable force. Like I listen. Lamar is a fantastic player. I've watched the Ravens most of my life. Be really good right now. He elevates them. Yeah. But if Lamar turned disappeared tomorrow, I think the Ravens a couple years would figure it out and they'd be good again.
- [45:17]
Colin Cowherd
They're well run. The Bears with Tyler Huntley.
- [45:20]
Sophie Cunningham
Yeah.
- [45:21]
Colin Cowherd
And they looked great. They. They played a clean, efficient football game and beat Chicago soundly.
- [45:26]
John Middlekauff
And I'm not trying to diminish any of these people. I'm just trying to say I. I don't. I think people are quick to forget what a joke the Bills were. I mean, part of what everyone made fun of Belichick and Brady is like, well, they get the jets, the Bills and the Dolphins six times a year because those franchises were so bad. And he comes and you're watching the day it's, you know, Lamar early on was so athletic, he, people couldn't touch him. He feels like he's a little slower now. Maybe it's just a little age, a little wear and tear. Josh's physicality is like you're getting the best of the Herberts, the Burrows and the Mahomes throwing. But then you get this Cam Newton, like, runner. It's like, what are you, what are you supposed to do here? You can't, you can't fit. So do you watch him today? You go, it is. Because I thought for a split second I'm like, they lose this game, they're in major trouble.
- [46:14]
Colin Cowherd
This thing could unravel and unravel. Tampa was scoring so quickly.
- [46:19]
John Middlekauff
I, I also think, you know, Keon Coleman. Shefter reported today he was inactive and he was there, you know, high pick couple. He missed a meeting on Friday. Well, I, I, I think if you tell me the bills are 8 and 1 coming into this, is he inactive or does, like, Sean McDermott just sit him down, gets a talk and no one really hears about it? But when you've been losing, you kind of got to show the team, like, we're not tolerating this. That's a, We've been losing. And I got to set the tone here with the rest of my organization. So when I saw that, I was like, this is kind of on tilt a little bit for the Bills, especially with the way the Patriots look and how easy their schedule today was. Huge. If they lose this game, I still think they'd make the playoffs because they got some winnable games.
- [46:59]
Colin Cowherd
No, I said Friday it does feel.
- [47:00]
John Middlekauff
Like the McDermott era would be hanging by a string.
- [47:03]
Colin Cowherd
I said Friday on the show, I said, one of my favorite picks is Buffalo. If they lose, that's my lead Monday. Like, oh, like there's tipping points on all this stuff, right? It could be Mark Jackson getting replaced by Steve Kerr. It could be, you know, Andy Reid losing a job. They're tipping point games, and this was one of them. You don't lose at home. I, I, again, I just, when I watched Buffalo play today, Tampa scored too easily. The, the fact that Sean Tucker come in and just run over players.
- [47:37]
John Middlekauff
Think he had three touchdowns today. He had a couple passing and two rushing and one passing.
- [47:40]
Colin Cowherd
Like, like there's a reason people don't draft running backs high generally because so many players you can find in the fourth or fifth round. But I just watched Buffalo today, and it's not really the Bills, it's just Josh Allen. He's the best football player.
- [47:53]
John Middlekauff
Yeah.
- [47:54]
Colin Cowherd
I mean, I always thought Elway, because Elway got drafted, I think by the Yankees. Elway could have been a baseball pitcher. He could have been a football player. I always thought like Elway was like, that's just about as good as you're going to get. I Josh Allen's bigger, stronger, faster, everything. Plus it's like Big Ben but just better at everything than Big Ben.
- [48:13]
John Middlekauff
Yeah, but no, I'd agree.
- [48:17]
Colin Cowherd
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- [50:14]
Colin Cowherd
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- [51:30]
Colin Cowherd
Podcast is sponsored by PayPal. Okay, let's talk holiday shopping. When you want to make the most of your Money, head to PayPal's app before you check out. They give you the flexibility to pay in four no fees, no interest. And this is big. Bigger than the 12 foot snowman on your lawn right now. You can get 5% cash back when you pay later with PayPal. So whether it's the must have merch or for that signed jersey you've been eyeing, PayPal helps you make the most of your money this holiday. Save this offer in the PayPal app expires 1231.
- [52:04]
John Middlekauff
See paypal.com promoterms subject to approval.
- [52:08]
Colin Cowherd
Learn more at paypal.com payin4paypal inc.nmls910457 okay Baltimore 22, Cleveland 16 I took Cleveland + 8 1/2. I thought the line was screwy. Baltimore, Cleveland at home. And I will say this, John, I firmly believe this, that if Cleveland had a big time top 10 quarterback, they would be a Super bowl team. A Super bowl bubble team. I think their defense is Miles Garrett's unblockable. What did he have? Four sacks again? Literally he's going to have 28 sacks. He's unblockable. Devin Bush, pick six. They look a little like Seattle defensively. It's like they're playing with 12 to 13 guys and at home the weather's cold. I think they've got, I mean they, they led 16. Was it three? 16, 10.
- [53:03]
John Middlekauff
They were controlled 1610 for me.
- [53:05]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah. And they were pushing Baltimore around and it Was Baltimore's third straight road game. So that's one of the reasons I like Cleveland. Then Dylan Gabriel, who really is stabilized the offense, they're not great, but he stabilized it. He leaves. Shadour comes in, and Shadour looks a little over his skis. The first driver, too, he's a little lost. And then he puts him in a position where he's driving to win. He makes a couple of nice throws, couple of nice plays. He was fine. It was kind of fun to watch. But my takeaway is Baltimore, third straight. Now they go home, I think for three straight home games. So this was bound to be an ugly game. What did you make? Let's just talk Shador. What did you make of what you saw?
- [53:43]
John Middlekauff
Well, the thing is, the Browns offensive line is horrendous. I mean, it's really, really bad. Now, luckily, Shador is used to that because he played the last couple years of Colorado where he was running for his life. You know, I, I have a hard time judging a rookie coming in the middle of a game against the Ravens. Made a couple nice passes, also had a pick, had to took a couple sacks. I mean, they're bringing guys. It's hard for me to even like, it wasn't great if you just do the totality of it, but how many guys would have excelled in that situation? The Ravens also, I mean, they have to win this game. With the Steelers winning, you know, their margin for error because they start one and four, they, this was like, this is must win territory for them. So my expectations, when I get the text, like, because I'm kind of paying attention because again, I just assume they're going to win, but once Dylan Gabriel gets knocked out, so, okay, I'll see how he. My expectations were pretty low.
- [54:35]
Colin Cowherd
Same.
- [54:35]
John Middlekauff
We're really low. It was going to need a Miles Garrett, like six sacks. One of them be a force fumble and pick it up and return for a touchdown. Because at the end of the day, the Ravens DBs, I mean, they were just gonna, it was gonna be a tough spot for Shador. So I, I'm not gonna crush the kid in that situation. That's at night. You're cold.
- [54:53]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [54:53]
John Middlekauff
You know, it's just now I, I, I do think I saw enough, like just keep mitten. You know, let's just see what he looks like next week. Give him a, give him a chance.
- [55:00]
Colin Cowherd
What do you got?
- [55:00]
John Middlekauff
What do you got to lose more games?
- [55:02]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, I thought his final drive, spin move, then a throw in the next play to the end zone. I'M like, those are two big time plays. He can play. All right. Green Bay beats the New York Giants 2720. So it's really interesting. So first of all, I think they missed three Pats. It was windy as hell. It was a hard day to play, look cold. But Green Bay, again, like the Rams, clean, no turnovers. When I watch them play because Jacobs went to the tent and got hurt. My takeaway on Green Bay is their best players are perimeter players like Watson, that Jordan Love to Watson, today was an unbelievable play. It's windy, you're on the road. The snap's not perfect. Jordan Love bobbles it, grabs it, throws a freaking perfect ball down the right sideline in the corner. And I'm like, okay, this kid. They are so reluctant to let Jordan Love pass 35 times. And the more I watched them, he was 13 of 24, two TDs, no picks. He doesn't throw a lot of interceptions. He'll let uncork. He has some Sam Darnold. He's got some Andrew Luck. He'll uncork. He's more far than Rogers. He'll uncork shit and he'll go, God, Jordan. But. And it was a weird day because the Giants actually had more rushing yards, passing yards and total yards, at least late into the game. They were better on third down. They won time of possession. They had fewer punts. Right. But Green Bay is like three and out or exciting. They're an incredibly uneven offense, and I think a lot of it is because they don't have an identity. I think they should just put it in Jordan Love's hands and say, we're going to throw the ball and see what happens.
- [56:47]
John Middlekauff
Well, I was talking to Goldie before you hopped on, and he was like, you know, the moment Josh Jacobs got hurt, we all took a sigh of relief because we knew that we had to open up the offense a little bit. And I think it's kind of a crutch for LaFleur Jacobs is awesome. I mean, he's a fantastic player. But I think lafleur, who is much more Ben Johnson, Kyle Shanahan would run it 45 times a game.
- [57:10]
Colin Cowherd
Yes.
- [57:10]
John Middlekauff
And has no problem if he's going to win it 20 to 13. He's not looking for style points, you know, and I think he really relies on the pass that Jordan Love threw to Christian Watson in the corner of the end zone that looked like Rogers to devonte Adams seven years ago. So one guy that kind of popped today was Christian Watson, and I think it's always driven lafleur a little nuts because he's, you know, drops and, you know, he's a speed wide receiver. It's like 20, 25. Like, I would use that guy because he's flying around, you know, the rookie wide receiver from Texas keep in and out of the lineup golden. You know, they got a mix and match a little bit with some of these wide receivers they're rolling out. Dobbs had a couple bad drops.
- [57:49]
Colin Cowherd
Bad.
- [57:49]
John Middlekauff
Early in the game.
- [57:50]
Colin Cowherd
Bad drops.
- [57:51]
John Middlekauff
You know, we talked about the Bills. I thought today when there was a moment, you're like, is Jameis Winston going to beat the Green Bay Packers? Felt like the Bills game against the Bucks, like, this is a turning point for their season. And this would be. It got really loud the last couple of weeks, right? It's, it's. Losing to the Eagles is not the end of the world for LaFleur, but losing to the Panthers and the Browns is losing to Jameis Winston, even in a freezing cold, windy game. And I'm Mike Kafka guy. But you can't be losing to Mike Kafka and Jameis Winston when you're the coach of the Green Bay packers and you've already lost some games. It was must win. I mean, they, and for a split second, you're like, I think Jameis might take them down. Well, they were in trouble. And then Parsons made some plays or defense made some plays.
- [58:33]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah. And, and then Jameis had a really bad end zone pick. Like he just missed by five yards. No, I think, listen, I. The receivers there' talk some.
- [58:42]
John Middlekauff
I think D might still be around if James had been their backup quarterback the whole time instead of Russell Wilson. He just gives him a little more oomph, doesn't he?
- [58:49]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, it's interesting. I, I. Because D loves football. I saw an article this weekend in one of the New York papers, and they're like, he's just a, a football junkie. Dable's not going anywhere. He, he'll code. He'll. He'll take an assistant job somewhere. He just wants to coach.
- [59:03]
John Middlekauff
He wants the Penn State job.
- [59:06]
Colin Cowherd
Diana was saying, wow, that's interesting. I like Dave. He's not, he's rough. He's not for everybody, but I think he's a football junkie and I think he's smart. He reminds me a little of an offensive Brian Robert Sala, where he's wound tight, he's really intense. Sometimes about twice a season, he's going to lose it, and you're going to be like, bro, you can't do that. You're a head coach. Like, I tend to defend those guys because I do think Sala is a remarkable coach. And I think Brian's really good, but.
- [59:34]
John Middlekauff
Kind of Bill O'. Brien. He's like a chubby, bald version of Bill O' Brien when he was younger.
- [59:38]
Colin Cowherd
But Matt. Matt LaFleur is an intro. You know, I always heard this about Matt LaFleur when he was in Washington and he came out and then he went to Tennessee and then he went to the Rams. The packers people said Shanahan of the Shanahan, McVeigh, Lafleur trio. McVeigh was the best culture guy. Shanahan was the best scheme guy. Matt was a little of both. He doesn't quite have the presence of McVeigh. He's not quite the scheme guy. Shanahan is. I think he's a pretty good CEO, but I don't think he's quite as clever as Ben Johnson. He's not quite as clever as a play designer and a play caller. I think he's just a very good coach who's good at a lot of things. I don't understand the lack of trust for Jordan Love because that's what it feels like, me watching. That's what I might. As a consumer of the Packers, I'm like. And I understand when Kraft gets hurt. It's not quite the same offense, but it feels a little predictable to me. That's what I'm watching. I mean, they had a couple three and outs. It's like you got too many good players to have three and outs.
- [60:44]
John Middlekauff
Yeah, I don't get it either. I mean, I think you go back to when Rodgers resurrect his career. I think his gut is to run the ball. I think he's a conservative coach. You are who you are. You know, once you get to his level, like your ethos as a play caller, he is not a spread it and chuck it around the yard type guy. That's just not who he is. And I think it's very, very difficult for him. I think if you put Kevin o' Connell on the packers, they would be much better off and Jordan Love would be much better off because that's what he wants to do. And I think if you put Matt LaFleur with J.J. mcCarthy in that group, they would look better. So it's just, to me, it's just a style. And his style, remember him and Aaron butted heads because he wanted him under center. He wanted him running the ball. He does not want shotgun 4 or 5 wide that's not what he wants to do. Jordan love definitely feel and listen he's not as good as Aaron Rodgers. Of course he's not. You're going to have to deal with some picks but like let him sling it around. I give credit to the last two guys have dealt with Sam Darnold like just let him fling it like he's going to have some days like today but over the the aggregate it's going to be pretty good. I watched that that throw that he made and you could argue that Jordan's a little bit of a teaser. You know he's. He's not as good as some of these guys which I heard you saying this the other day on tv. Like he's just good. He's not great or whatever but he's not bad. He's good. You could win a lot of games with the Cousins the Jack Prescott's that's Jordan loves world let him sling it around.
- [62:04]
Colin Cowherd
If he came out today he's six four big arm moves nice kid. I mean he always anytime you put a mic in front of him he's always a team guy. He and Mendoza would be the top two picks. I mean his traits are outstanding.
- [62:16]
John Middlekauff
He's a big Ty Simpson Tyler. Ty Simpson couldn't dream of having the skills he has.
- [62:21]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, I don't get Ty Simpson. I that that ship has sailed for me after Saturday. But okay, I want to get. I'll talk about this game. San Francisco 41, Arizona 22 Brock Purdy played very well, got started with a Skymore kickoff return. They were off to the races. I gotta I'm gonna I'll say this. I think Shanahan and Robert Sala. First of all Arizona was a mess. They had 11 penalties in the first half. Harrison didn't play. But I'm going to give San Francisco credit, John. I'm not sure if any other staff in the the NFL could overcome it's. I texted Saul the other day I was like bro, you're coaching your ass off because you have no players left and Winter I think is a very good young player. But I mean my, my interpretation watching that game today was I mean obviously you can move a pocket much more with Brock Purdy than Mac Jones. They you know they're moving the pocket all over the place and that's what Brock does very well. But they should not be beating people 41 to 22 on the road.
- [63:25]
John Middlekauff
I do think one the the Cardinals have less like star power but they are as injured as the 49ers and now and the 49ers getting purdy but Pierce all back. Their offense feels a lot different when you put Ricky Piersol with Jennings, Kittle and McCaffrey. I did think it was a delicate situation. I get it. You paid him, you know, $180 million guaranteed. But how well Mac Jones has been playing and Kyle was steadfast and like, this is our guy. When he's ready, we're going to go. And I said this kind of weird. He's ready. What's been up with his foot? He's just going to be 100%. He looked completely normal. And Kyle, the way he handled it with Mac Jones and he gave Mac a lot of credit too, is like, Kyle's pretty good at quarterbacks. Yes. They're winning a lot of games with Mac. How many, how many coaches beside like an Andy Reid. Could you just be like, yeah, you're just going to win 10, 11 games. I don't care what your schedule is. With a banged up Purdy and Mac Jones, I'd say most teams in the NFL are winning six, seven games. Especially with Fred Warner with a cast on his foot. Nick. Nick Bos in Florida rehab and an ACL. So listen, the Cardinals aren't bad, but the 49ers beat the living. You know what out of them think about this.
- [64:35]
Colin Cowherd
Arizona had almost 5, 500 yards of offense and averaged 7 yards of play and got the you know what kicked out of them. Arizona has talent. Arizona is big time. Oh, they're just, they are Indianapolis, where you're like, they've got dudes. They just don't have the quarterback. Right? So, you know, I think there is, you know, I, we all. I. When I watched the coaching today, especially in the late window, I had Andy Reid and Sean Payton, you know, today I've got Kyle Shanahan. I don't know if John Gannon's a great coach, but Shanahan is. I've got McVeigh and Mike McDonald. I got John Harbaugh and Stefanski. I like Stefanski. I think John, the coaching in the NFL today, I don't think there's ever been this many good young coaches. I think it's all. And I think that Jesse Minter with the Chargers will eventually get something. There'll be a college guy or two that'll pop out. Ryan Day obviously has done. This is the best. Ohio State, like Ohio State, for the first time in my life, it feels like they've like Bama. They've separated from people like by a touchdown or So I think they'll, I think they'll beat Indiana significantly. I don't know. When I, When I watch Shanahan and Salah, I'm just impressed. I mean, they've, they've got eight different guys defensively traded or not playing on defense.
- [65:59]
John Middlekauff
Well, I think when you look at a lot of the. In the 49ers have been one of the best teams over the last, what, five, six years. You go to the Bills, you know who's the poster child? Mahomes. Who's the poster child for the Ravens? Lamar. Right. You just go around the top teams. There's a couple, though, like the Lions. You kind of think Dan Campbell first. Yeah, you definitely with the 49ers. I mean, they're, they're their franchises. Kyle Shanahan, you know, I mean, his, his importance in getting Robert Sala to come back. You know, I get asked a lot. Do you think he'll get a head coaching job this year? I just don't think the candidates, like, he's definitely going to get some interviews, probably. I mean, I think Jonathan Gannon is in major trouble.
- [66:37]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [66:38]
John Middlekauff
Now, I'd also argue that if this was college, I would view Arizona as one of those jobs. Like, I wouldn't touch that job. Like, that's just a bad. That's a place where tough to win, especially when you factor in you're going to be Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVeigh and Mike McDonald's. Good. Good luck to you with an owner this cheap. Godspeed, guys, because that's. I don't think Jonathan Gannon's terrible, but their team's really falling apart now. They're not, they're gonna, their record's gonna be awful. So. Yeah, I mean, I. Listen, Kyle, this year we liked them because of their schedule, but once you had all the injuries, it could have fallen off the rails fast. Oh, and deserves a lot of. I think the Mac Jones that. Signing and resurrecting his career because he, Listen, I think his value, it's like, well, would you trade him to the Minnesota Vikings?
- [67:21]
Colin Cowherd
Yes.
- [67:22]
John Middlekauff
No, I need them. But, but, but my problem is, what if Bertie gets hurt? Again, his value to the 49ers. I, I would for the right price, but I'm not giving to you for a third round pick. Would you give me two seconds or something? Because do you want to win or do you want to lose? Because you're going to lose with J.J. mcCarthy, right?
- [67:37]
Colin Cowherd
No, I think Minnesota is the play. And I, I said it, I said it last week on the air I said I'd get a third round pick. You're probably right. He's worth a second and a fourth or a second and a third. I think it. It's probably what Mac Jones is worth. And it's always hard to decipher. Is Mac Jones good or is it maybe just the coach? But I do think when you watched Mack make throws to a depleted receiving core, it was pretty impressive.
- [68:02]
John Middlekauff
I think one thing too, that last year he was injured but changed the 49ers forever, was that it was between the Rams and the Niners to get Christian McCaffrey. And it was. The Niners gave a second, a third, and they had to give that extra fourth to make sure they got him. And it changed the franchise. And I would say also doubling down. You know, Kittle was getting a little older. He's a pretty dominant player. So when you watch those two guys, they are as good of a tandem as a running back and tight end as you're gonna see. I mean, they are. They are ass kickers. I mean, they are ass kickers.
- [68:32]
Colin Cowherd
I think Kittle had two touchdowns today.
- [68:34]
John Middlekauff
Oh, and he's just. He's just so physical and he's so good in the run. And McCaffrey, even on some of his runs that aren't as sexy, he's just so physical and he's so consistent. Those guys are just. They're hall of Fame players. I mean, that's, that's really what. They're just hall of Fame players. They're winning players and they're guys, you know, when kind of you know what's hitting the fan and your backs are against the wall. They're guys you can lean on. And that's. The Chiefs have. Have had those type guys. You just need those type guys to be in the trenches with.
- [69:00]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, that was one of my. That was my second favorite blazing five pick. I took San Francisco minus two and a half. I said, when Shanahan gets blown out, take the Niners the next week.
- [69:10]
John Middlekauff
You know, it might come down to now. The Bear schedule is a little harder than the Niners, but the Bears play the night they could. That seven seed could come down between those two teams. That's a big game.
- [69:20]
Colin Cowherd
Well, I have. I have Philadelphia beating Detroit tonight. So, you know, Chicago keeps winning. Ugly. Don't be shocked if Chicago has a shot to win the division, which sounds ridiculous.
- [69:29]
John Middlekauff
It's crazy. I know.
- [69:32]
Colin Cowherd
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Colin Cowherd
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John Middlekauff
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- [73:54]
Colin Cowherd
Learn more at paypal.com payinfor PayPal Inc. NMLS 910457 let's end it last 10 minutes here. You know when the nil college football talk when the nil and transfer portal emerged the big fear and I think the media does a bad job at this. The political media and the sports media. It's always the end of time. So the nil and the transfer portal. The fear is the rich are only going to get richer. Well actually the opposite has happened is that take out Ohio State mostly because of their defense. But after this weekend Bama, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Indiana, Georgia, Texas A and M. John it was a couple years ago when Bama and Georgia looked different than everybody else. I'm looking at all these teams outside of Ohio State mostly because of this unbelievable defense. I mean I watched Michigan, Northwestern came down To a final kick. I watched Iowa. USC came down to a couple of calls. There is so much parity now in college football. I like Georgia a lot and they certainly have Texas's number, but Bama has Georgia's number. Ole Miss. I mean, if it was such a great job, Lane Kiffin would have already signed an extension. Him not signing it is probably a sign that he knows there's limitations in Ole Miss. Everybody was afraid the Portal and the Nil were going to just bury the Iowas and bury the. You know, you're. Now we've got Indiana and A and M and Ole Miss have emerged. I don't know. I think Ohio State's the best team, but I watched Bama lose. I was shocked. I'm like, Christ, there's 12 teams here. I'm not sure who's the second best team in the country. Maybe Georgia.
- [75:40]
John Middlekauff
Well, I think for most of the last 20 years pre nil, there were two or three teams that were so much better. You go back to Pete and then Urban and then Nick and then for a little bit Kirby and Dabo in there for a minute. And they really only had to out coach an opponent maybe once or twice during the regular season and sometimes during that regular season game was a team that didn't have your talent, but your team was just kind of sleepwalking. Maybe in your conference championship game and then in the playoffs. Right now you kind of got out coach them. Like Lane's power as an offensive play caller is on full display. Feels like eight of the 12 games.
- [76:16]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [76:17]
John Middlekauff
Look at yesterday. Why do you think Venables. You know, Venables and Kirby are probably the two best defensive coaches that are head coaches. Patricia is probably an overqualified college coach.
- [76:27]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [76:27]
John Middlekauff
You know, I mean, how well he's doing. But they match up well against who? Kaylin De Born, Ryan Grubb and Steve Sarkeesian. The Oklahoma's beat him twice, two times in a row. And obviously he's beaten Sark last three times they've played in the last two years. Well, because we got. We're basically even, right? We're relatively equals. And it's just a coaching schematic matchup. And I am. Venables and Kirby are elite defensive coaches just like Lane's an elite, you know, offensive coach. Sark is too. You know, Arch is a little hit or miss, you know, his quarterback. If you had a better quarterback play, maybe. And I think coaching is just more on full display in more games now than ever. I mean, you and I have been Talked I, I've come around because yesterday is a great example of like, you know, Oklahoma playing Alabama. Well, five years ago Oklahoma's playing Kansas and Alabama's playing Kentucky on November 15th. So you know, USC is playing Colorado and Iowa's playing Minnesota. Those games suck. Now we get the Matt, they're playing each other.
- [77:26]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [77:27]
John Middlekauff
You know, the best thing that ever, the SEC ever did was get Oklahoma and Texas to come because it is, it is amplified their games that just. They have double the amount of sweet games they already had a lot of.
- [77:37]
Colin Cowherd
Hey, listen, I was a Pac 12 fan, but I got Iowa, USC in the rain. It was great game.
- [77:42]
Odoo Advertiser
It was fantastic.
- [77:43]
Colin Cowherd
Then I'm getting Oregon, Iowa the week before. That may have been a better game. And so yeah, I, I like all this stuff.
- [77:50]
John Middlekauff
I, to me, Texas, Georgia, I mean it's just been bright lights the last two years. It's must watch.
- [77:56]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah. I just think, I'll be honest about Oklahoma. They really surprised me. You know, they've got matier so they have a big time quarterback that can make the plays. I think my big takeaway out of that I had said last week two of my big takes were I don't really buy Texas A and M. They fell behind 30 to 3 and came back in one. I still not blown away by him. It was a great comeback, but they got manhandled at home for an hour and a half. The second thing is Ty Simpson. I don't see the traits everybody. I am a trait guy. I don't care what your record was in college. Josh Allen couldn't win in college. Mahomes had a losing record. I don't want to keep. The bottom line is you gotta. I have to say wow at something like Kyler Murray may not be a great NFL quarterback, but I'm watching him run around and I'm like, wow, that's better than Russell Wilson. That's wow. Yeah, Ty Simpson's fine, but it's kind of a JJ McCarthy thing. Surrounded by good players. There's not a single trait where I'm like, shoosh, that's first round. Ty Simpson's draftable to me, he feels like a mid late second round guy. Did you have a different opinion about the Bama quarterback? Because two weeks ago everybody said Heisman number one pick.
- [79:06]
John Middlekauff
Well, I'd say this 10 years ago, before quarterback inflation, which started with the Mahomes Allen Lamar kind of run and everyone's been drafting overdrafting quarterbacks. Guys like ty Simpson and JJ McCarthy went in the third or fourth round ask Dak Prescott and Kirk Cousins. I mean that, that wasn't that long ago. Those guys, they won a lot of games in college. Mississippi State was number one team for a moment when Dak was there. Google Kirk Cousins record in college. Those guys went in the third and fourth round. To me, Ty Simpson has never been a top 100 pick till the last seven, eight years, right. JJ McCarthy maybe because come from Michigan's like a third rounder. But these guys now this quarterback inflation, they get overdrafted. Now JJ to me is a more physically brings more to the table than Ty Simpson. I mean, Ty Simpson's Ryan Williams, the star wide receiver is falling off a cliff. The other two guys are still pretty. Like he's playing with some pretty elite coaching and some pretty elite talent. I love Michael Penix, but Michael Penix is not good. And you go back. Well, Michael Penix played with three NFL wide receivers in elite coaching, right? So it's just, I just, I'm out on time. This quarterback class is terrible. I mean, I was texting around yesterday. It is not good. It's not good at all. Lenore Sellers, who in the. You watch that first half against exam. You're like, God, this guy really the second half just atrocious. Well, who's he going up against? Mike Elko? That guy's an elite defensive coach. What did he do? He made a couple adjustments. Sellers is seeing ghosts and it's just a train wreck. So to me, this is not. If I hear one more time about the Browns or Jets, their savior does not exist with the top five pick in this draft. It does not. So if that's what they're. Obviously that's what they were hoping. But I don't see any of these quarterbacks.
- [80:45]
Colin Cowherd
I like Mendoza. I like his size and I like the fact that he won. I like the fact that he went Cal to Indiana. He's never had five star teammates. He's never had a grade O line. I like the fact big, strong, big arm. You know, he comes his family Cuban immigrants. It's a great story. Like you wrap your arms like, oh, this kid's worked his ass off. Really a good leader. I do think he looks different also. He's 22. Dante Moore's 20. I think that matters a ton. He to me, that Penn State drive and how he played against Illinois and Penn State late and Oregon. If you go to three moments of this season where you were like, okay, Mendoza, you have to deliver. Austin Stadium last drive, Penn State, Illinois game. I thought he was unbelievable in all three.
- [81:34]
John Middlekauff
Yeah. And he's going to play in even bigger games. I mean he's going to get Ohio State in the championship game. More than likely he's going to play in playoff games. I mean who knows if they play Ohio State close in the championship game Ohio State and them could host like they could be because they can, they can see the top four however they want. And to me if, if you lose to Ohio state by under 10 points, I got no problem making Indiana top four seed. So they, they are, they're going to play in massive games against the Georgias. The Oklahoma's. He's got a chance to really solidify himself because obviously it's what he did against Oregon. The bat. I had some buddies at the game in the scouting world and they said his mental toughness to bounce back after that pick six and make plays obviously the Penn State game. But now he gets to go up against Ohio State. He gets to go up against probably one of these SEC teams. I mean Oklahoma that could be, who knows maybe a first round matchup. Oklahoma against Indiana. I mean there's, you're going to get some great matchups for him specifically. Obviously his coach and Signetti, they've done an incredible job. I do think Oklahoma. Here's what I will say about Venables because I was googling them last night basically in 99. He came with Stoops to Oklahoma.
- [82:38]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah.
- [82:39]
John Middlekauff
He's worked at two places in 25 years, Oklahoma and Clemson. So he knows two things really well because do that run with Stoops and then with Dabo he can recruit. He cares about recruiting. You and I talk some coaches like I don't want to recruit. He's. He cares and he tries and Oklahoma is a good recruiting operation. He cares about it. He's a. And he's a great defensive coach and you watch his team, you go, they got players which he's recruiting and his defense is elite. So like I think people little meatheady and stuff. He brings some stuff to the table. Yeah, he will recruit and his defense is elite. And listen he just paid that 30 year old and mater to come. So it's like hey, you take the offense and I'll do the program and the defense and we'll be, we'll have talent and we will be. They're not good on defense. They are SEC dominant on defense.
- [83:23]
Colin Cowherd
Yes. And I. And that surprised me. Texas is winning a lot of games. Didn't surprise me. You know it's, it's funny since Texas joined the SEC they've only got, like four losses. Three are to Georgia.
- [83:38]
John Middlekauff
Yeah.
- [83:38]
Colin Cowherd
So everybody's selling all their Texas stock. It's like they can't beat Georgia. It's like the Seahawks can't beat the Rams. Darnold's beating everybody else. Sarkin. I thought Arch played okay. I don't love, I think, losing gold into the NFL. I don't feel like Texas has a number one dominant receiver. I really, I thought Arch played okay. I, first of all, I think George is a much more physical program. I just think they are. You know, you and I have said this. USC and Texas are pretty, they're finesse. They're pretty. They're cool. Georgia's not cool. Georgia's tough. Georgia's hard. And I think Georgia's a bad matchup for Texas football. I think they just.
- [84:15]
John Middlekauff
Well, don't you think the idea, the identity. Look at the identity of these coaches. You know, USC actually has shown some toughness, but relative to what they are in their heyday, not even close. Sark, you know, a little finesse. He's an offensive guy. Lane, who's the, you know, just the. Everyone says they got to hire Lane and he's awesome. Offensive coach. His defense is terrible.
- [84:35]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, right.
- [84:36]
John Middlekauff
I mean, his, even the identity of DeBoer, Alabama's defense, shell of itself, what it used to be. Offensive team. Right. Oklahoma, Kirby, like, those guys are defensive guys. So Kirby last night went on the tirade of. Yeah, we don't do checks here without physicality. It goes hand in hand. So you're not just getting, getting the money and getting to check out and run around, score touchdowns. That's not how, like, you're getting screamed at here. We're hitting people. We're hitting people hard. But that's who he is. And I think it's hard. Like Lane and Sark, it's not really their thing. They want to score points, they want to go fast. They want to make. That's. But that's who they are. I don't even, I don't even blame them. The one thing, you know, Sark really has, their defense is actually pretty good. But he should recruit the cream of the crop, like, he can run. What Kirby has done at Georgia, what Pete and Urban have done and Saban have done, like, he gets to pick a literatex because they got the most money and people want to play there.
- [85:26]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, I, I, I think Sark's good again, they can't beat Georgia, and I think there's a reason for it.
- [85:32]
John Middlekauff
What's interesting is Arch let them down at moments. This year he's, he's gotten better and it's taken him a little while and last night guys dropped balls early and. But then as the game went on, he started missing some guys and he. Their margin for errors is smaller.
- [85:48]
Colin Cowherd
I will say this, though. Right now, Oklahoma has a better identity than Texas does, 100%. And I think that is, that's what I've said about USC. It's funny, I've been banging on USC's culture and last night when Lincoln won, he went out and said that was a culture win. That was a culture win. Because he hears all the criticisms that we know you're smart and a good offensive coach. We know you're a great play caller. Everybody knows that. With Lincoln, I mean, they've been number one or two. They're numbered one in offense or number two in offense. This year, that's even when they lose, they lose in shootouts. Except the Notre Dame games have been tough for them.
- [86:18]
John Middlekauff
But he came out 21, 2110 in the rain at half. It did not feel good.
- [86:24]
Colin Cowherd
No, it was that, by the way, I not only had a good blazing five, my only college pick was Iowa. I thought it was just, it was, it was just going to be a close, ugly game. But they won. And now I don't think USC matches up well with Oregon, although I'll tell you, I think USC thinks they match up well. My problem is you can beat USC down the field throwing the ball, and if Oregon's healthier at wide receiver, they'll beat USC down the field. Oregon's a big play offense. USC gives up big plays. They can be very good in the red zone. They've got excellent safeties. When Bishop and Kamari Ramsey are healthy. Actually, USC safety is pros. Kamari Ramsey's probably a second round guy. The other guy's probably a fifth round guy. But if, if Waymond Jordan comes back the running back for usc, I think they'll move the ball a little bit. It'll be competitive. But I think Oregon doesn't give up a ton of big plays under Dan Lanning and USC does. And that's the difference. If it was at LA, I think I would think it was 33, 30. You think USC has a shot?
- [87:38]
John Middlekauff
I mean, it was hard. I mean, I was, I watched some of that game on Friday night when they were playing Minnesota and their backup tight end was just. I mean, Oregon's got some players.
- [87:47]
Colin Cowherd
Their defensive line is got two first.
- [87:50]
John Middlekauff
Round linemen, they got two tight ends that just look like, they would catch seven balls on Sunday immediately. I mean, it's just like, where are they getting now? They've been recruiting at a really high level for a long time. I do think it's a tough match. I also think, you know, the. The buzz on Lincoln over the last, like, two weeks had been like, the program had finally kind of turned the corner. They've been winning some games. Like, is this guy gonna leave? Something weird's going on. Like there was. And let's. There's a lot of smoke out there with a lot of these college. I've heard things. Rumors about Kaylin DeBoer. Just. It's not a great fit. I'm like, where'd he go? Like, I don't know. Penn State. So they just. It's just weird fit for him. And I just think fit matters. But I think Lincoln, you. I think you tweeted this out. It's twice now in basically three weeks. The Nebraska game, when they missed the field goal, he went nuts. And last night when they won, he went. I've never seen him do that. So twice this year. I think he feels the weight of the world. How could you not, Younger guy? You take $120 million. First couple years are just weird. This year, I mean, I don't think they're that talented. So if they end up going nine and three, I actually think he's done a pretty good job. But it does feel big picture. Like they're still watching some of these top teams, like, still pretty far away from, like there is a chance that they get, I don't know, blown out by 25 points this weekend. Right? They killed.
- [89:09]
Colin Cowherd
I think they're going to have a hard time stopping Oregon. I think they'll score, but I think it could get lopsided pretty fast. All right, John. We won our Monday Night Football pick last week for Hard Rock bet Dallas -3 against the Raiders. I got to tell you, you know, I'm watching Kansas City and Denver play, and I'm like, man, the Raiders are a long way from that. I was always a supporter of Pete Carroll. There just nothing I like right now with the Raiders. At least the Cowboys. I feel in this spot, standalone game, I kind of feel like I know I'm going to get some offensive efficiency. Maybe if it was four points, four and a half, I would take the Raiders. I just don't see anything. I just feel like Dak in a standalone game, extra day to prepare for a competent offense, I would probably take the Cowboys to win in cover.
- [90:09]
John Middlekauff
Yeah, I feel like everyone's doing that. So I'm just going to take the Raiders do not feel good about it. Maybe Gentee just has finally a breakout game. Maybe he rushes for 150 yards. He just. You just have to imagine Pete Carroll is going to have at least one moment during the season.
- [90:23]
Colin Cowherd
Are you surprised how bad it's been?
- [90:25]
John Middlekauff
A little. I think they are too because you know, you trade for Geno, you draft Genti. I think maybe they didn't think they were going to win 10 games, but I think they could thought they would be a competitive 78 win team. They've been atrocious. So Monday Night Football I would say historically when you look at some of these games with bad teams, you do get sometimes Herculean efforts. You know, from bad teams you've seen a lot of upsets. Not that Cowboys, Raiders a big upset. But I would expect if Pete Carroll has anything left, we get a really good showing from the Raiders.
- [90:55]
Colin Cowherd
John Middlekopf over an hour. Good stuff. Appreciate it bud. See it the volume this podcast is sponsored by PayPal. Okay, let's talk holiday shopping. When you want to make the most of your Money, head to PayPal's app before you check out. They give you the flexibility to pay in four no fees, no interest. And this is big. Bigger than the 12 foot snowman on your lawn right now. You can get 5% cash back when you pay later with PayPal. So whether it's the must have merch or for that signed jersey you've been eyeing, PayPal helps you make the most of your money this holiday. Save this offer in the PayPal app expires 1231.
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John Middlekauff
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Colin Cowherd
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- [91:49]
Sophie Cunningham
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- [92:28]
Colin Cowherd
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- [93:40]
John Middlekauff
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Colin Cowherd
As head of maintenance at a concert.
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John Middlekauff
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Colin Cowherd
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John Middlekauff
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- [94:10]
Sophie Cunningham
This is an iHeart podcast.